Muslims came to Peru
with the coming of
the Spaniards. Many
Muslims, then called
"Moros", or Moors by
the Spaniards,

arrived fleeing
persecution in
Spain. They settled
in many places in
Latin America,
especially Peru,
where they had a
strong influence on
the local way of
life including,
dress, food,
architecture, and
the social and
political systems.
Many of them had
very important
positions in
society, and the
women until recently
used to wear

hijab and were known
as "Las Tapadas
Limeņas", or "the
Covered Ones from
Lima". This was a
sign of distinction,
as many of the
Muslim women who
immigrated from
Spain were the
social elite. Today
in Lima we have the
famous "Balcones
Limeņos". These
balconies are
crafted in the "Arabescos"
style. They are
wooden balconies
which protrude from
the building's
facade and offer the
women views with
privacy. Walking
through

the streets of Lima,
one can almost
imagine that he is
walking through the
streets of Al-Andalus.
Islamic architecture
pervades the city.

So the Limeņo way of
life has been
heavily influenced
by Islam. But many
Muslims, because of
persecution,

were forced to go
into hiding and
became
"crypto-Muslims",
identifying as
Christians but
secretly practicing
Islam. Over time,
even this secret
affiliation was lost
and Islam
disappeared from
Peru.

The second wave of
Muslims came with
the migrations from
Palestine and
Lebanon in the
1940's of Muslims
fleeing the Jewish
persecution in their
homelands. These
Muslims were largely
merchants. Over time
they developed
considerable wealth
but lost some of
their Islamic
identity. The
descendents of these
immigrants

still exist in Peru
in large numbers,
but their Islam is,
for the most part,
not apparent.

Beginning in the
1980s, Latinos who
had travelled abroad
and encountered
Muslims began
converting to Islam.
They began da'wah
activities, inviting
both the immigrant
Muslims and the
Latino community to
Islam.

However, being for
the most part
economically
disadvantaged, the
resources of these
Latino Muslims has

been limited. A
musalla was opened
in a neighborhood in
Lima called Jesus
Maria in 1993 but
was closed

due to lack of
funds. Another
musalla, opened
around the same time
in Villa El
Salvador, was later
closed

for the same
reasons.

Today these nomadic
Muslims of Lima have
no place to worship
Allah as a group.
LAMU's immediate
goal is to re-open a
musalla in Lima
which will serve the
needs of the Latino
Muslim community.